Politics
The Latest Editorial Cartoons About Climate Change
By CM Chaney · August 6, 2026
Two decades of climate crisis, drawn in ink: from the 2009 EPA endangerment finding Trump just repealed to drought and wildfire hitting us now in 2026, thirty of America’s finest editorial cartoonists capture the politics, the science, and the heartbreak of a planet on fire.
North Carolina Population Growth Strains Resources Amid Ongoing Drought
The cartoon depicts a large green fish inside a fishbowl with the water level significantly lowered. The fish bears the label N.C. POPULATION GROWTH across its body while the word DROUGHT appears in the remaining water. Heat lines rise from the bowl and a thought bubble reads UH-OH.... Cagle Cartoons
SUV Spews Pollution Trail Around Warming Globe
The cartoon depicts a yellow SUV speeding across the surface of a globe while emitting a thick black cloud of exhaust that forms a large C-shaped trail around the planet. Passengers inside the vehicle appear alarmed with arms raised. Cagle Cartoons
Trump EPA move on endangerment finding boosts fossil fuel sector
The image shows the White House with a large pirate flag labeled fossil fuel flying from a pole on the grounds. A speech bubble from the building asks why giant flagpoles were installed. Cagle Cartoons
EPA Climate Rules Face Dark Clouds of GOP Resistance and Pollutants
The cartoon depicts a bright yellow sun labeled New EPA Regulations casting rays across a scene dominated by dark clouds. Those clouds carry labels for pollutants, extreme weather, global warming, drought, heat-trapping gasses, and G.O.P. Cagle Cartoons
EPA greenhouse gas ruling sparks fears over everyday emissions cartoon
The cartoon by Dave Granlund, published December 8, 2009, responds to the EPA's recent finding that carbon dioxide and methane qualify as harmful pollutants under the Clean Air Act. It shows a large sign declaring no exhaling and no belching, with a family, cat, and cow reacting in alarm. Cagle Cartoons
Florida Surfer Celebrates Sea Level Rise Bringing Beach to Orlando by
A political cartoon published March 15, 2012, shows a blond surfer in a teal shirt holding a surfboard marked Surf Orlando Beach. A news box reports a study finding sea level rise could affect Florida coastal communities by 2030. The surfer exclaims that he will no longer need to drive his gas-guzzling SUV to the beach. Cagle Cartoons
Fossil Fuel Industry Fumes at Obama EPA Plan for Power Plant Emission Cuts
The cartoon depicts a furious representative of the fossil fuel industry reading an EPA newspaper headline announcing President Obama's push for major cuts in power plant emissions. The figure, labeled on a yellow badge, grips the paper tightly with smoke rising from his head. Cagle Cartoons
Obama's Clean Power Plan Pushes Shift From Coal and Oil to Renewables
The cartoon shows President Obama extending a track toward renewable energy symbols while declaring it the key step against climate change. Uncle Sam stands on a platform marked oil and coal with industrial rigs behind him. Cagle Cartoons
Child representing future generations stands trapped amid coal smokestacks while key is discarded
The image shows a child wearing a mask and labeled Future Generations positioned behind a row of tall coal smokestacks that emit dark smoke. A hand in a suit cuff holds a large key that appears to be thrown aside. The platform base is marked coal. Cagle Cartoons
Man constructs large vessel as sea levels threaten homes during climate talks
A man hammers planks onto a massive wooden vessel on a grassy field while two women stand near a house. One woman states that efforts to halt global warming and rising seas have become futile. The scene coincides with the 2015 United Nations climate conference in Paris focused on greenhouse gas reductions. Cagle Cartoons
EPA sign promotes clean coal as agency structure topples amid emissions
The image shows the EPA headquarters with multiple smokestacks releasing dark clouds. A brown sign at left reads EPA Clean Coal Agency. A large fallen structure at right bears the words Environmental Protection Agency. Smoke drifts across the scene above adjacent buildings under a blue sky. Cagle Cartoons
Scientist Clings to Carbon Emissions Report as Climate Disasters Mount
A four-panel cartoon depicts a scientist clutching a carbon emissions report while standing amid increasingly severe conditions. The first panel shows flames and the word NOT. The second places the figure in driving rain with SEEING. Snow falls in the third panel with ANY. The final panel shows the scientist neck-deep in water saying SLOWDOWN. Cagle Cartoons
EPA Administrator Wheeler Depicted Relaxing Amid Pollution Rules Shift
The June 2019 cartoon by Pat Bagley depicts EPA Administrator Andrew Wheeler lounging in a chair with a large cigar. Smoke from the cigar forms the letters E.P.A. overhead and drifts toward a sign reading THANK YOU FOR SMOKING. The image responds to the Trump administration's moves to ease limits on carbon emissions from coal plants. Cagle Cartoons
Trump Swings EPA Rules Wrecking Ball at Earth Ornament
The cartoon shows Donald Trump as an orange-faced infant clinging to a chain and riding a large wrecking ball marked NEW E.P.A. RULES. The ball swings toward a Christmas ornament shaped like Earth hanging from a tree branch. The title WRECKING BALL appears at the bottom. Cagle Cartoons
Climate Change Truck Speeds Past Tiny Solutions Car Cartoon
A political cartoon by Guy Parsons published September 2, 2020, depicts a massive red truck labeled Climate Change barreling down a road while a tiny gray car marked Solutions putters behind it. The occupants of the small vehicle shout Hey, lighten up there, LEADFOOT! through a speech bubble. Cagle Cartoons
US Capitol shown as melting glacier with climate legislation text
The image presents the US Capitol building encased in ice that is breaking apart and falling into water. The phrase climate change legislation is inscribed across the ice formation. The Senate wing is clearly marked on the structure. Cagle Cartoons
Man Crawls Through Desert Pleading for Water and Climate Solutions
A bearded man crawls across a vast desert under a fierce sun, his words trailing from pleas for water into demands for reduced CO2 emissions, green renewable energy and expanded public transportation. Cagle Cartoons
Fossil fuel interests restrain COP26 vehicle amid calls for action
The image depicts a large primate figure marked lobby for fossil fuel restraining a vehicle labeled COP26 with a red strap. The vehicle issues a call for real action through a speech bubble. Black smoke billows from a cigar held by the primate. This appears during the 2021 Glasgow climate summit focused on reducing greenhouse emissions. Cagle Cartoons
Wealthy Nations Offer Token Climate Finance at COP26 While Claiming Savior Status
The cartoon shows a top-hatted figure labeled wealthy nations shouting through a megaphone that fighting climate change makes them saviors while extending a small bag of money marked climate finance to poor nations. Cagle Cartoons
Ice Form of The Thinker Melts in Warming Seas
A four-panel sequence opens with an ice formation resembling The Thinker perched on a glacier. Subsequent panels show the figure fracturing and shrinking as meltwater streams away. The final panel leaves only a low cluster of ice in open water beneath a bright sun. Cagle Cartoons
Climate Warning Signs Use Road Symbols to Show Escalating Environmental Threats
Peter Kuper's four-panel cartoon from April 2023 uses familiar road signs to illustrate climate impacts. The top left shows a penguin beside a cliff-fall warning amid melting ice. The top right depicts lightning and a tornado near a skid sign. Bottom panels show flames surrounding stop and crossing signs on a highway jammed with burning cars. Cagle Cartoons
Figure battles fossil fuel use while greenhouse gases expand
The cartoon depicts a man wearing a United States flag cap who holds a large cylinder labeled fossil fuels in his mouth. Smoke shaped like a cloud and marked greenhouse gases billows outward. A speech bubble shows the words I really need to quit. Cagle Cartoons